The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Jstpssng]

The signature of a retired TBN member read "If haying was easy, everyone would be doing it. It ain't."

 

[Hay Dude]

Day like that could make you question career choices. !

All careers have a super-bad day a few times.
My wife is a 20+ year school teacher and complains a lot more about her job than mine.
If I hated my job, I wouldn’t talk about it.

 

[dodge man]

I can remember my father in law saying they picked up a piece of Osage Orange in the combine head once. They finally cut it out with a chainsaw. They threw the chain out afterwards.

 

[Hay Dude]

Nah, you'd have to be sane for that.

Lol.

One mans nightmare is another man’s dream.
I’m quite sane, but I do enjoy a challenge

 

[Hay Dude]

I can remember my father in law saying they picked up a piece of Osage Orange in the combine head once. They finally cut it out with a chainsaw. They threw the chain out afterwards.

I picked up a chunk of box elder in the baler.
Once I got it out, I threw it into the river.
Should have used it to club the property owner over the head for not cleaning up fallen branches lol

 

[mrmikey]

Should have used it to club the property owner over the head for not cleaning up fallen branches lol

Don't blame you, not good for business referrals tho LOL

 

[Hay Dude]

Dropped another 40 today. This is one of my bigger fields. Have another 35 on the other side to do tomorrow.

Took a pic before I dropped the mower.
This field is about a 3/4 + mile long.

Just getting started.

Each pass at 5-6 MPH takes about 10- 12 minutes.

Getting to the bottom edge of the field, when all of the sudden, I got a little surprise. 2’ deep mud, soft as jelly.

 

[LouNY]

Looks like you got reversed in time. That can be nasty.
One nice thing with are old pull type the haybine finds the soft spots before the tractor.

 

[Hay Dude]

Looks like you got reversed in time. That can be nasty.
One nice thing with are old pull type the haybine finds the soft spots before the tractor.

I felt the mower sink a little, but by the time I got the reverser pulled back, my front tire was sunk.
No problem with 42” AG’s on the back and 4WD.

 

[mrmikey]

I have to pass by a bunch corn fields (animal feed) and hay fields on the way home. Couple of times when they first opened up the fields they had their tractor stuck big time not realizing how soft certain areas were, right up over the diffs. they were hauling manure spreaders and the area was right below their barn so I assume it was full of good ole liquid. Good size tractors as well, New Hollands, not sure of the model number but big enough to run duallies front and back. Getting them out, they pretty much destroyed a good sized portion of their new field. Years later, they leave that area untouched.

Side story, before they got stuck, on their first spread around the perimeter which was right beside the road, they sprayed both lanes of the highway (85 KPH road) with liquid manure aka snot. That was bad enough but it was at the bottom of a blind hill on a slight corner that the bikers love to act out their racing dreams. I was going the other way and managed to slow down two bikers coming toward me before they went off roading, scary stuff.